San Diego 2021 in review

San Diego Hops, a season in review

Sun and sunshine

Deep blue skies

Exquisite sunsets

Intimate ocean

Oh,

That baseball team

The big news for the franchise’s offseason will be the dedication of the Hop Garden, a combination Team Hall of Fame, and Locally Grown Hops, in the recess between the fence and stands of left-centerfield. In other news, the Hops fans are excited by some of the developing players on the major league roster, and hopes they stay off the DL.

Catcher: þ þ þ þ ☐

Almost a five/five season, perhaps if “Titan” had been called up sooner…

This is suddenly a very deep position. Antonio Rojas started most of the season backed up by Chris Morton who also filled in at DH. The two combined for 36 home runs and over 100 rbis. The real revelation was the September call-up of Goldi “Titan” Lebel. In a brief 22 game debut, he not only hit .300 with gap power, but his defense was truly remarkable, throwing out five of eight attempted base stealers. Rojas is only 27, Morton 28, Lebel 25, and next man up, Morgan Cairns who hit .313 at AAA, is 29. Elton Tremwade (22) and Ekansa Sathiamoorthy (18) provide yet more depth in AA. Many believe the Hops will move one of the four on the 40-man roster, or move Lebel to shortstop if Hai-Dong Joe or Joe Frost falter.

First Base: þ þ þ ☐ ☐

Shannon Chase started 134 games, 114 at 1b, while hitting .270/22 HR/91 rbi. However his glove was less stellar. Jonathan Barnes started most of the rest of the time, with only a slight improvement afield, and a meager .230 bat. Terrence Sepkiechler flashed a great glove, but he is the primary third baseman, and is not ready at this point in his career to move across the diamond. None of the minor leaguers, Myers, Gibbs, Cunningham, etc., inspire a great deal of hope at first. Chris Morton moved up from the squat and may be a bridge to the future at the position. With Chase turning 33, and Barnes 32, they may be on the downside of their careers.

Second Base: þ þ þ ☐ ☐

Jorge Castillo was a pleasant surprise, hitting .323 with an OPS of .854 while posting a great zone rating with only four errors. Joe Frost spend some time at the keystone, but showed he’s lost a step or two, and hit only .230 though he did knock in 91.

Third Base: þ þ þ þ ☐

Terrence Sepkiechler is the infield super-star, spending most of his time on the hot corner with a great slash line of .317/.386/.501 19 hr, 91 rbi. At 27, he’s in his prime, and seemed to have shaken off the injury bug that diminished  his 2020 season. Hai Dong Joe, Ichizo Sato and Castillo backed him up. Paul Miller shows some promise in AA.

Shortstop: þ þ ☐ ☐ ☐

Frost was the primary guy in the six hole, with Joe and Sato behind him. Gerard Leeder is the shortstop of the future in AA, but he’s only 19, and looked lost at the plate. Takanori Higashi is still in the system, but like Frost is past his prime.

Outfield: þ þ þ þ þ

This is the Hops’ strength, and even with Badry Makaev on the DL most of the season, this is a bright spot. Carlos Avila led the division in rbis, and was second in HRs while slugging .552: .319/.366/.552 36 hr 134 rbi. He only made one error in 331 chances while showing better range than anticipated. He was flanked often by league leading hitter, Kyle Reader: .370/.438/.464  113 runs and 41 steals, only getting thrown out eight times. He primarily played DH, but in the 62 games he played in the field, he too only made one error. Justin Davis also got on base over 40% of the time while playing great defense: .318/.412/.458 with 32 doubles. Daniel Lopez fleshed out the group, hitting .316/.381/.503 27 hr 108 rbi. Makaev, in the 85 games he played before he ruptured a tendon in his finger, performed as well, .321/.384/.495 51 runs 54 rbi. In a brief cameo, Ricardo Romo showed he’s ready, hitting .354/.386/.446. Tom Cassidy, Dan Savage and first round choice two years ago, Jejomar Butardo lurk in the minors.

Starting Pitching: þ þ ☐ ☐ ☐

This was the Achilles heel of the San Diego squad. Mal Tosewell started eight games then went down with a season ending elbow injury. Tadasuke Kato proved to be the most reliable starter, going 12-9 in his first full season in the bigs. Kazuhiko Kanno did not progress as hoped, going 11-13 with a 5.71 ERA. Lee Barker was a pleasant surprise, notching an 11-6 record in his rookie season, but his ERA still soared at 5.91. Jose Lara went 7-3 splitting his time in the rotation and bullpen. Jesus Feliciano looked okay in part-time duty. Jin-Song Cheung made his debut with mixed results in two starts. Jared Thornton went backwards, and there are not a whole lot of candidates to step to the front of the rotation in the minors.

Bullpen: þ þ þ ☐ ☐

Nat Downs and Ed Downing, after his DL stint, combined for 32 saves to anchor a fairly decent bullpen. Aurelio Mata, Joe Barrett and Henry McGowan were reliable for the most part, while Luis Sandoval and Ivan Garcia were hampered by injuries. Others to appear, J.R. Murphy, Lorenzo Pueblo, and Bob Lortie, did little to soothe the San Diego faithful. Help from the minors is modest at best, with no real flamethrower in the works.

Overall: þ þ þ ☐ ☐

The team did improve by 20 victories, going from 59 to 79 wins. The climb to playoffs is still a steep one, and will come at the cost of either outfield or catching depth.

Joe "Crayon" Frost

Joe “Crayon” Frost, Shortstop

Crayon

Nicknames, external input

Internal storyline

Personal baggage, valise

designer chic

Crayon

Wax

Hue

Paper and pigment

Remember earthen smell

Mushroom

musk

Gateways

Youthful color creation

memory

Schoolyard, recess, swings

After Thursday baseball practice

Junior year

High school

Worrying about grades

The drafts

            Serve country?

            Go pro, minor leagues?

Might not make it,

Might die

Walking home, stop at old elementary

school playground

Painted lines, paste white thick on blacktop

            Get a job?

Stopped, nobody around

Swing set

            College, me? Are you kidding?

Flick legs, arch back

Again, sky rotates with institutional architecture

Kicked feet into tanbark

Sliding feet reveal blue paper cylinder

Crayon

Brake feet

            Kick up bark like infield dirt

            Sliding into third

Light blue flecked with rust dust flakes

Cornflower

            Too light, no power, scouting report

Cornflower blue, must be from a bigger set of crayons

The ones the rich kids had

Never even heard of that bloom, transparent blue, stained glass window

            Like a church telling a story

Stuck the crayon in jeans change pocket

Transfer, like turning two,

Into rear pocket

Uniform pants

Friday,

baseball

Three for three

Late afternoon Spring sun beams

            Long loose limbed kid on mound

            Throws pretty straight

            Fastball, clean base hit rightfield

            Go opposite way, stay with pitch

            Curve one-two count

            Single in the hole

New guy takes mound

            Reliever, some pimpled sophomore

            Knew all he had was southpaw heat

            And that cooler than a popsicle

First pitch ripped

Right center easy two bags

Scouts in stands nod to each other

Maybe cross-check this one

Shows tools

            Caught Cindy’s eye too

            Meet after game wink

Cindy

Fooling around

Found the crayon

            “Cornflower, what’s that?

            Shouldn’t they be yellow?”

Heated up soon after

New sweat under my flannels

Found second base under cotton blouse

“Pretty lucky, that crayon,” cooed,

            soft ear tickle, her breath cool

Whistling home

Giddy

Two doubles today

“Son, scouts called,

hour ago,

where you been? Stain your pants?”

teenage stammer,

“Crayon.”

Joe "Crayon" Frost; Corel Painter, November 2015

2020, Hops in Review

Hops in Review; 2020 season

103 losses says it all. In the wake of a season gone horribly wrong, manager António Martinez’s contract will not be renewed for next season. After an 88 win campaign in 2019, best in Hops history, expectations fro 2020 were very high. The abysmal reality of the season has many stories, including:

Pitching

All five starters had ERAs over 5.00, and they averaged over 6.00 (6.03) as a staff. The best of the starters was newcomer, J.R. Murphy, originally considered the fourth or fifth man in the rotation, ended as the most reliable arm amongst the lot. Only Kaz Kanno reached double figures in wins, before he tore his shoulder labrum, joining both closers, Ed Downing (elbow reconstructive surgery) and Mike Chase, on the disabled list.

The bullpen was not a whole lot better, averaging a taste over 6.00 (6.28) as a group as well. Once Downing went down, and the starter problems, both Luis Sandoval (108 innings) and Nate Downs (91 innings) were overburdened in relief roles.

Grade: D-

Hitting

Sixth best team batting average, .287, but a dismal 11^th in extra base hits and home runs, and dead last in walks, leading to an OPS that ranked 11^th as a team. There were some high notes, Antonio Rojas came of age as both a hitter and catcher, Shannon Chase was the team leader in power categories while hitting .273, and played every game. Carlos Avila, splitting time between 3b and the OF, led the team in hits with 203, while exhibiting excellent power. Fellow rookie, Dan Savage, chipped in with a .300 average and 71 RBI.

Grade: D

Infield

Terrence Sepkiechler was the star of 2019, but injuries limited his playing time to a mere 68 games, so his .311 average and .837 OPS, were severely curtailed. Shortstop, Joe Frost came over in a trade with SoCal, but then fractured his thumb, and played only 27 games in a San Diego uniform. Ichizo Sato started over 100 games in the infield, at three positions. Though his glove was steady, he produced little offensively. In a similar vein, backup Jorge Castillo started 100 games in the SD infield. Carlos Avila started 51 games at 3b, but proved it is his least favorable position. Luis Martinez got 100 nondescript at bats as a rookie middle infielder.

Grade: D

Outfield

A season of hope turned into desuetude. Carlos Avila played a lot of centerfield, but his hitting is far superior to his defense. Kyle Reader only managed 100 at bats coming back from his concussion, and then he promptly broke his hand. Dan Savage played hard, and hit .306 with some pop  (30 doubles and 11 HR) but maked Avila look exquisite with a glove. Justin Davis hit .316 with a .857 OPS, but also proved doubtful with a glove. Badry Makaev was a positive member of the .300/.800 crew, and was the one bright spot in the Hops’ outfield.

Grade: C-

The future?

The farm system has some potential help with the likes of pitchers, Jorgé Roman, Yeung Suk-Kim, Georgie Levin and Arturo Vega, but they are all uncertain in their major league readiness, and none has shown top shelf status as a starter. As for hitters, nine of the top ten prospects in the system are outfielders, with only SS Gerard Reeder breaking that monopoly. Look for SD to dangle four or five of these prospects to get some more pitching.

Grade: Pending, as many of the players in the minor leagues could be traded by 2021.

Georgie "Beans" Levin, LHP, #47

Disappointment in San Diego, Hops in the Tank

How expectations can topple from one season to the next. The Hops were expected to improve on their 2018 season based on improved pitching and a sterling core of hitters led by Kyle Reader and Terrence Sepkiechler.

Midway through 2019, the Hops are beyond the collapse stage, mired deeply at the bottom of the standings and the power rankings. What went wrong? What is going right? How can the tailspin be turned around?

What went wrong: Perhaps the assumption that young players would automatically improve, blame that can be clearly placed on management. This level of arrogance is not uncommon, but the result has been disastrous for SD.
• Injuries-Kyle Reader, Terrence Sepkiechler and Ed Downing are all on the disabled list for extended periods of time. That means the top two hitters and closer are down for the count. This exposed the lack of major league depth that has constantly plagued the Hops. In addition, Justin Davis is just back after missing over half the season so far. Dan Savage came up and has hit admirably, but is part of a deeper issue…
• Defense-Savage is one of the worst centerfielders, and Avila one of the worst third basemen in the league. The Hops are compromised defensively by the injuries, leading to…
• Pitching-A team that relies on young pitchers must have good defense, and San Diego is one of the more troubled defensive teams, leading to a return to the 2017 depths of pitching. There is some hope that the second half of the season will show improvement, as management is moving pieces around to get better defense to support the young arms.

What went right: The catching platoon of Antonio Rojas and Chris Morton has done a fantastic job offensively, and considering the challenge of handling a young pitching staff, has done quite well. Savage is hitting, Avila is hitting, Davis, now returned is hitting, and Shannon Chase and Jonathan Barnes are doing an excellent job sharing 1b and DH, all over or near .300, and Joe Frost, obtained in the trade for Kaneko, is showing signs of offense missing prior to his moving to San Diego.

The minor leagues have some prospects, and the Double A Jacksonville team is leading its league, 19 games above .500

Fixes: Patience, as the real team gets off the DL, the Hops will improve. Maybe swinging one more trade, thinking towards the future. There are some excellent prospects making their way through the system, not just outfielders, so there are good times ahead.

Meanwhile, this is a team that is struggling to find an identity for its pitching and defense that can support its hitting. The stadium configuration is aligned with defense, but there has been a lack of same due to injuries, so the prospects for the future are still positive.

2019: Season in Review

Hops Then and Now

Emerson Stiles

Mr. Stiles enjoyed a memorable career pitching for the Mercer Owls and Pleasant River Coots establishing team and league records for the Pastime League. Since his retirement, he has covered baseball as both an award-winning journalist and commentator.

As the San Diego fans whet their whistle with some imperial suds provided in one of the numerous owner sponsored beer and barbecue fests, this writer has noticed an extraordinary optimism spilling over the commemorative pint mugs with the hop-infused foam. Why, it was just last year that this same Southern California franchise barely missed losing one-hundred games, a scan improvement over a team that in 2017 lost a forgettable 105 contests with a bloated payroll topping $100 million smacks. How did this inebriate team manage to swim upstream in their tough division to get within shouting distance of playoffs with a sparkling 88-74 record in 2019 on a mere $72 million payroll, and what do the Hops have in store for the future, now that they’ve traded the winningest hurler, Ted Mills, of their most recent success? To answer that question, and perhaps raise a few more, pull up a barstool here at the Toronado, and share a Pliny or two while I tell a tale of fate and fortune.

In 2017, the team stars were Miguel Angel Ortiz, 1b/DH, George Sanders, 1b/DH, Mike Johnson, RF, and outfielders Bill Turner and Taylor Thompson. All of them garnered over 400 plate appearances and hit pretty well, but not a one had a prominent role in 2019. Ortiz was traded, Sanders released, Johnson retired and Turner and Thompson, though in the prime of their careers, are more suited for reserve roles if on the 40-man roster at all.

On the mound, the 2017 contingent was led by Elvis Sharp, now departed, while Ted Mills, Kaz Kanno and Luis Sandoval all lost in double figures, compiling a less than stellar 45 loss mark amongst the three of them. 2019 saw Mills turn his career around, and Kanno and Sandoval showed marked maturity. Perhaps the “building character” aspect of getting pummeled on a regular basis has some merit.

Here is a position-by-position exposé of the current Hop roster, with some flashbacks to that nadir of futility that was 2017.

Catcher:

Antonio Rojas broke out with a .292 average while slugging 20 homers while being selected as a first-time Gold Glove honoree. He shared time behind the plate with Chris Morton who looked great in a backup role with a .312 average while also handling some 1b and DH duties. They traded for a very good reserve when Morgan Cairns came over in the Mills deal. The outlook here is great, and with all three under 30, are set for awhile. Rojas and Morton were on the 2017 team, getting experience, but Dorian Knight, a defensive liability, unlike the current corps, had more at bats than the two reserves combined.

First Base:

Ortiz is long gone, and his heir-to-be, Dwayne Sparks, was relegated all the way down to AA in 2019. Instead, an astute free-agent pick up of Shannon Chase (.838 OPS, 26 HR) when healthy, a timely move bringing up long-time minor leaguer, Jonathan Barnes (.297, .860 OPS, over 400 AB), led to very productive time with better gloves than Ortiz. This is one of the deeper positions in the system, and looks good for years to come.

Second Base:

Middle infield has been a sore spot in San Diego for years, but has finally solidified with the fine fielding Hirotsugu Kaneko, who also hit a potent .307 with a .380 OBP. When he was hurt, Jorge Castillo and Ichizo Sato filled in well with the glove and showed that they were not automatic outs at the plate. If Kaneko stays healthy, this is a plus for the franchise. The Hops may look for youth here should he again exhibit a tendency to lose time. This is a huge improvement on 2017 when Charlie Jackson, Mike Lamb, Tim LeBlanc and company hit around .225, and seemed to field about as well.

Third Base:

In 2017, Mario Vasquez ended his career playing only a dozen or so games, and retiring essentially at the All-Star break. By 2019, Terrence Sepkiechler took the position and wrung it out to dry, hitting a robust .316 with 24 dingers, and filling in at every other infield position if needed. He has shown consistency with over 100 RBIs this season and last, and at only 26, the future looks bright. Watch for Hai-Dong Joe in the minors, who may be the shortstop of the future if Sepkiechler stays at the hot corner.

Shortstop:

Takanori Higashi started close to 100 games at SS for the Hops, but like his double-play partner, Kaneko, suffered injuries that limited his playing time. When he was in, he was very, very good (.279). When he was out, a similar depth issue cropped up as the same cast of keystone characters filled in at short, leading to some consistency issues around the horn. The aforementioned Joe is the probable future at the position, but look for a Hops draft choice or trade to shore up the reserves. Gerard Leeder is a four star prospect according to Hops scouts, but at least three years away from the big leagues once he gets out of the International Complex.

Outfield:

This is the real new heart of the Hops, with a left to right with a sojourn into DH and other roles, makeup of Badry Makaev [Gold Glove] (.333/.377/.468, 17 HR), Carlos Avila (.328/.368/.457), Justin Davis (.300/.399/.469 14 HR), Hubert Muñoz (.256/.307/.425) and the star of the group [injured until mid-2020], Kyle Reader (.352/.424/.466, 112 runs). There is no comparison to 2017 here: Johnson, Caldwell and Turner/Thompson were the rangers then. Thompson and Turner are still in the system, and Dan Savage and Dan Lopez are stars in the making. Look for a deal from this level of depth, as great glove and .860 OPS hitter, Dan Rodriguez, could only manage 200 at bats for the major league team.

Rookie, Mal Tosewell [July 2014; Painter X3] experimenting with using only one brush variant, the Short Oil

Starting Pitching:

The ERA went from 5.97 in 2017 to 5.06 in 2019, and is going to get better. Henry McGowan went 13-10 with a 4.83 ERA in his first full season, and is just hitting his stride. Bill Baker won 14 in support of Mills’ team-leading 18. Mills will be replaced by JR Murphy and star-in-the-making, Mal Tosewell who debuted with a 3-0 record, 3 plus ERA and 19 K in 33 innings. With Georgie Levin tearing through the minor leagues, this could be a strong rotation (Baker, Tosewell, McGowan, Murphy and Pueblo/Levin) for years to come. This is a far cry from that forgettable 6 ERA rotation of 2017.

Bullpen:

Ed “Crime Spree” Downing improved from 25 saves in 2017 to 38 saves in 2019, with an ERA that went from 4.65 to 3.04. His support of “Oro” Mata, Bob Lortie, and company is an improvement over 2017, but still has room to improve even more with one of the following; Barrett, Downs, Reyes or Sandoval, needing to step up their game.

Outlook:

After a few more pints, the outlook couldn’t be better. Infield depth, bullpen and starting pitching are of some concern, but not so bad that the Hops need to make a lopsided deal. Look for the San Diegans to move an outfield piece to stop up one or more of these gaps, and the draft to continue to produce the likes of Reader, Makaev and Tosewell. Who knows, the next craft beer could be a playoff special.

Emerson Stiles, your correspondent

Carlos Avila: Rookie Sensation

In one short year, Carlos Avila, the number one draft choice for the San Diego Hops in June, 2018, has been the AAA player of the week once, and named to the AAA All-Star team. Now, he has emerged as a savior in San Diego, replacing the injured star, Kyle Reader, in the outfield and at the plate. His stellar rise to prominence is no accident. He is a confident young man, his skills honed in an excellent college career. However, nobody expected his ability to handle major league pitching would be this swift.

A quick look at his stats:
In his first forty games, he has batted 166 times, mashing 52 hits, including five doubles and five home-runs. He has crossed the plate 17 times, while driving in 24. His OPS stands a lick over .800.

In the field, he has split time between third base and center field, with a bit more pressure showing with a ZER in slight negatives at both positions. The very bright Ohio native is well aware of his shortcomings, and can be seen before every game taking extra infield and outfield practice.

There is no doubt that San Diego would have dropped out of contention in a surprising September finish had Avila not been brought up to join Justin Davis, Badry Makaev and Terrence Sepkiechler atop the Hops' order.

Carlos Avila, CF/3b, San Diego Hops #29, Corel Painter x3; July 1, 2014

San Diego, State of the Art

Friends and foes alike, San Diego is a team that often looks like a wayward ship traversing the harbors of futility with occasional sunshine and fair winds. This season is somewhat of the latter, with incredible young outfielders performing like seasoned veterans (Reader/Makraev) and just enough pitching to survive (How is Ted Mills 14-4 with a 5.19 ERA?) while most arms are finding .500 about right in the BrewStade.

San Diego is making one last plea on the trade fronts:

Available:
The aforementioned Mills, Joe Barrett, Juan Jose Carbaja, Luis Sandoval, Mike Chase, Nat Downs, OF Daniel Rodriguez, OF Bryan Caldwell, IF Mike Land

Looking for draft choices or minor leaguers who are in the 2-3 star range, will package multiples

San Diego is in the years long throes of financial duress (remember giving up Ortiz?) and is still wallowing in slack attendance.

Come on down, try an Imperial IPA and let's talk…